Not upheld: claims recording and no claims bonus impact complaint against Ageas Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr I complained to Ageas Insurance Limited about how a claim on his commercial vehicle insurance policy was recorded on the Claims and Underwriting Exchange (CUE) following an accident. Ageas had accepted liability and settled the third party's claim because Mr I had not responded, resulting in the claim being recorded as a fault claim and affecting his no claims bonus. Mr I also complained that Ageas was unhelpful in logging his second complaint. The ombudsman found the claim was recorded correctly in accordance with CUE guidance and that Ageas's handling of the complaint logging was reasonable, therefore not upholding the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman could not review Ageas's decision to settle and accept liability, as this was a commercial decision. However, once Ageas had accepted liability on Mr I's behalf, it was reasonable to record the claim as a fault claim. The recording on CUE showing cost paid and bonus disallowed was in accordance with guidance. The ombudsman found no evidence that Ageas acted unfairly in initially not logging the second complaint, as it appeared to be a continuation of the liability complaint.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website